Giselle<p>More expressions: "J'ai pris l'habitude" means "I got into the habit"<br />And looks like 'prendre' also goes with the making of good resolutions (new year's resolutions): prendre de bonnes résolutions.</p><p><a href="https://mastodon.me.uk/tags/FrenchPhrase" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>FrenchPhrase</span></a></p>
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#Frenchphrase
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Giselle<p>This is a French expression that I'll need to learn by heart because "à la rigueur" isn't sinking in as having the meaning of: "If need be", or: "even" or: at most, in a pinch. <br />Apparently this <a href="https://mastodon.me.uk/tags/FrenchPhrase" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>FrenchPhrase</span></a> translates literally as: "at the strictness" 🤔 😳 😱</p><p>Thank god for the Internet, some good examples here:<br /><a href="https://www.lawlessfrench.com/expressions/a-la-rigueur/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener" translate="no"><span class="invisible">https://www.</span><span class="ellipsis">lawlessfrench.com/expressions/</span><span class="invisible">a-la-rigueur/</span></a></p><p><a href="https://mastodon.me.uk/tags/LearnFrench" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>LearnFrench</span></a></p>
Giselle<p>I just came across a really funny expression: "tomber dans les pommes" means to faint (to fall into the apples). As does "s'évanouir. But not as funny.</p><p><a href="https://mastodon.me.uk/tags/FrenchPhrase" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>FrenchPhrase</span></a></p>
Giselle<p>Huh, even the language app seems to understand my mood:<br />On a du mal à se motiver pour sortir.<br />We have trouble motivating ourselves to go out/leave the house.</p><p>Yup exactly.</p><p><a href="https://mastodon.me.uk/tags/FrenchPhrase" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>FrenchPhrase</span></a></p>
Giselle<p>Some French expressions are really hard to remember because their meaning is not obvious at all. I struggle to associate them with anything I already know. Example:<br />Faire la tête means to sulk.</p><p>A similar phrase in German (sich einen Kopf machen) actually means to think about something, a totally different meaning. </p><p>Those nonintuitive expressions will take a while to commit to my memory banks. </p><p><a href="https://mastodon.me.uk/tags/FrenchPhrase" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>FrenchPhrase</span></a></p>
Giselle<p>I like this phrase a lot too:<br />"Tu dois être aux anges"<br />You must be over the moon.</p><p><a href="https://mastodon.me.uk/tags/FrenchPhrase" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>FrenchPhrase</span></a></p>
Giselle<p>And also, Duolingo suggests "Perfect timing" as another translation (for: ça tombe bien).</p><p>Sounds good. </p><p><a href="https://mastodon.me.uk/tags/FrenchPhrase" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>FrenchPhrase</span></a></p>
Giselle<p>What a great phrase, love it:</p><p>"Ça tombe bien." means: "That works out well"</p><p>(Literally: it falls down well, teehee hee...) </p><p><a href="https://mastodon.me.uk/tags/FrenchPhrase" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>FrenchPhrase</span></a></p>
Giselle<p>New French phrase that I've come across! "se prendre un râteau" means to get turned down, get knocked back, get the brush off (when asking for a date). Apparently it can also be more neutral: face a rebuttal.<br />Funny thing about it is that râteau is the word for rake. So is the visual image of that when you 'take yourself a rake', that you might have stepped on the prongs and launch the rake handle towards you? </p><p><a href="https://mastodon.me.uk/tags/FrenchPhrase" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>FrenchPhrase</span></a></p>
Giselle<p>Interesting phrase:<br />"Je ne savais plus où me mettre", Duolingo translates it as: "I didn't know what to do with myself" and helpfully pointed out that it means <J'étais très gêné> (I was very embarrassed).</p><p>I like the phrase because I can visually picture not knowing where to put yourself out of sheer embarrassment! For some unfathomable reason I find that really funny. Like you'd be looking around for somewhere to put yourself, when you wish you could escape into thin air.</p><p><a href="https://mastodon.me.uk/tags/FrenchPhrase" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>FrenchPhrase</span></a></p>
Giselle<p>"Pas de souci, tout s'est arrangé", No worries, it all worked out.</p><p><a href="https://mastodon.me.uk/tags/FrenchPhrase" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>FrenchPhrase</span></a></p>
Giselle<p>LOL:<br />"mettre les pieds dans le plat" (putting your feet in the dish) means: putting your foot in your mouth.</p><p>I love a great discriptive phrase. Funny! </p><p><a href="https://mastodon.me.uk/tags/FrenchPhrase" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>FrenchPhrase</span></a></p>
Giselle<p>Oh yay, another great expression!</p><p>"Je te le concède" means: I'll grant you that.</p><p>Cool.</p><p><a href="https://mastodon.me.uk/tags/FrenchPhrase" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>FrenchPhrase</span></a></p>
Giselle<p>Goodness me, what a phrase. You really need to know what it means so that you know (if you follow me there):</p><p>"Je me suis fait avoir" actually means: "I got fooled". Ah-ha...</p><p>My aid memoire on this one is: 'I've been had'. Where would you even start if you didn't know the translation?</p><p><a href="https://mastodon.me.uk/tags/FrenchPhrase" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>FrenchPhrase</span></a></p>
Giselle<p>Now this is a phrase that makes sense to me, and it also rolls off the tongue in a wonderfully French way! So pleasing to the ear. </p><p>I'll remember this one:<br />"contre toute attente" means Against all odds. I also found: 'contrary to expectation' as an alternative. </p><p>Lovely.</p><p><a href="https://mastodon.me.uk/tags/FrenchPhrase" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>FrenchPhrase</span></a></p>
Giselle<p>I cannot get this phrase into my memory databanks. Grumble, grumble. </p><p>Au fil du temps means over time, in/over the course of time. It just doesn't stick, gah. Fil means thread or wire, right. The thread bit should lend itself to make this more memorable, but hasn't so far. Maybe I need to imagine a wire or thread spanning some distance, held up with sticks here and there... It would take quite some time to walk along it, therefore "over time".<br />Maybe that'll help...</p><p><a href="https://mastodon.me.uk/tags/FrenchPhrase" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>FrenchPhrase</span></a></p>
Giselle<p>Love this phrase:</p><p>C'est nickel ! <br />("It's spick and span") </p><p>I had never heard of the word nickel in a French context before. I was curious about the origin, apparently the expression comes from nickel-chrome; from a white silvery metal that shines when polished. Aha.<br />Ooh, and even more intriguing: nickel is short for kupfernickel (but otoh I don't really follow the explanation of that, my French isn't good enough. Yet.)... </p><p><a href="https://dictionnaire.orthodidacte.com/article/etymologie-c-est-nickel" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener" translate="no"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">dictionnaire.orthodidacte.com/</span><span class="invisible">article/etymologie-c-est-nickel</span></a></p><p><a href="https://mastodon.me.uk/tags/FrenchPhrase" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>FrenchPhrase</span></a></p>
Giselle<p>"Tu ne sais pas la meilleure !" means "You don't know the best part!" - or at least Duolingo translates it that way. </p><p><a href="https://mastodon.me.uk/tags/FrenchPhrase" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>FrenchPhrase</span></a></p>
Giselle<p>Interesting that justifier in French can also mean to explain. E.g. "Ça ne justifie pas pourquoi mes affaires ont disparu" (That doesn't explain why my stuff disappeared). </p><p>Very interesting. I'm always amazed at the differences between languages.</p><p><a href="https://mastodon.me.uk/tags/FrenchPhrase" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>FrenchPhrase</span></a> <a href="https://mastodon.me.uk/tags/Duolingo" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>Duolingo</span></a></p>
Giselle<p>The answer to Lin asking her gran Lucie on Duolingo: Qu'est-ce que tu lui as fait? (what did you do to him), is I think, quite funny: "Tu ne veux pas savoir." (You don't want to know).<br />I think I find it funny because all these characters have such lovely distinct personalities. The idea that Lucie upset people is quite unimaginable. So... that makes it a funny story, heh.</p><p><a href="https://mastodon.me.uk/tags/FrenchPhrase" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>FrenchPhrase</span></a> <a href="https://mastodon.me.uk/tags/Duolingo" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>Duolingo</span></a></p>
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